Operation Endurance seizes 20th motorbike

Police are winning the fight against reckless riding on stolen bikes following a major crackdown. Gloucestershire Constabulary have just seized their 20^th bike in the fight against antisocial behaviour on mopeds and motorcycles in the Cheltenham area.

This moped was seized after it was spotted being ridden illegally in the Hesters Way and Moors areas of Cheltenham. Operation Endurance was set up to tackle just this sort of crime after 34 incidents of motorbikes, many of which were stolen, being ridden in parks and on pavements were reported to Cheltenham Police over the Easter weekend.

Officers from the Cheltenham Neighbourhood Policing Team have been working alongside Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC), Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH), Solace and social services to hunt down the bikes being ridden recklessly in public spaces.

“My team and our partners are committed to making the parks and roads of Cheltenham a safer place for all,” said Inspector John Turner.

“We will not tolerate motorbikes of any kind being ridden in an anti-social and dangerous manner and will look to prosecute anyone who is doing so.

“The public should be able to enjoy the beautiful green spaces in Cheltenham without the fear of being hurt by one of these bikes and I would like to urge members of the public to continue ringing in with incidents or emailing us with any information or footage as it will allow us to bring a stop to the issue.”

Chief Executive at CBH, Paul Stephenson added, “We want communities in Cheltenham to be safe places for the people that live there and we work closely with the Police and other local partners wherever possible to make that happen.

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